Somali official assassinated in central town

 Gunmen, covering their faces with masks, have shot dead a Somali official in the central Somali town of Beledweyne, the administrative capital of Hiran region, Radio reports.The official, a spokesman for the ousted local Somali troops, is said to have been in the town for the last four days.His assassination was claimed by Al-Shabaab, an insurgent group that is fighting the transitional federal government. “We are behind the killing of Salad Hareed because he was a spy for the TFG. He arrived four days ago on a mission to strategize on the troops entry to Beledweyne,” said Al-Shabaab The incident was the latest in a series of fatal attacks on Somali government officials.Meanwhile, Somalia's most powerful militant group Al-Shabaab have reportedly executed a man accused of spying for Ethiopian government.The execution took place in Baidoa, the administrative capital of southern Bay region on Saturday where dozens of Al-Shabaab's supporters gathered to witness the grisly act carried out by a firing squad.Al-Shabaab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia, has previously carried out without any due course public executions, amputations and floggings in various parts of the war-torn nation with victims having no legal representatives